


forever hold your peace

by PotterheadAvengerDemigod



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:07:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9552239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotterheadAvengerDemigod/pseuds/PotterheadAvengerDemigod
Summary: "Marry me," he blurts.





	

It’d been a long day for Bitty and Jack both, if that much worse for Jack.

It’s the off-season, and the Falcs had just won what was now Jack’s second Stanley Cup the season before, and Jack could think of no better time to come out than now.

So it’d been a day of press conferences for Jack and a day of avoiding reporters for Bitty, a tiring, exhausting day that had kept Jack and Bitty apart for what seemed like an eternity. And sure, Jack’s tired, completely burned out, muscles aching and shoulders tense, his facial muscles protesting every shift in his expression after a day of forced smiles and acting. Jack had spent pretty much the entire day in media mode, something that, while he was good at thanks to a lifetime of being in the spotlight, was draining and he hated it.

So when he unlocks the door to his and Bits’s apartment, it’s all he can do to shrug off his suit jacket and toss it across the back of the couch, slumping down into the soft cushions. He’s tired enough that he can barely even muster the energy to do more than smile wanly at the smell of pastry baking in their apartment, too tired to do much more than lie down on the couch and fall asleep, still in his dress pants and shirt.

Jack wakes to a soft brush of lips across his forehead and the cushions of the sofa dipping beneath him as Bitty takes a seat. His head is now pillowed in Bitty’s lap and Bitty’s fingers are combing gently through his hair.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Bits asks, brow furrowed in concern. “You look exhausted. Lord, one moment you were opening the door and the next you’re asleep on the couch.”

“‘M fine,” Jack mumbles, nuzzling into Bitty’s stomach, yawning and blinking the sleep from his eyes. “Just tired.”

“Oh, honey,” Bitty sighs, eyes concerned. “It’s only the first day; if it’s exhausting you like this maybe it’d have been better to keep this under wraps…”

The words pierce sharply through the fog of sleep that surrounds Jack’s mind, dispelling it quicker than anything ever has. He bolts upright, startling Bitty badly enough that the younger man lets out a high-pitched yelp.

Jack gathers Bitty in his arms and presses a gentle kiss to the crown of his head.

“Bits,” he says, voice thick. “I’m never going to regret coming out, okay? So what if I’m tired today? The media buzz will die down. The world will stop caring after a while, and those who do aren’t worth bothering ourselves about. I will never regret not hiding you. You make me a better person, Eric Bittle. You make me  _ happy _ . Happier than I’ve ever been. Yes, I’m burned out. I’m exhausted. But all that’s worth it. Because I get to hold your hand in public. I get to take you on dates to restaurants and take walks down the street with you and not have to keep any distance between us, not have to act like we’re just friends. I get to hold you and hug you and kiss you in public without being afraid. I can pick you up at work and visit you at the bakery and I can talk about you openly when the reporters ask about my life. I can stop hiding myself and be proud of who I am, of how far I’ve come, and I can be proud of my amazing, generous, beautiful boyfriend who I love so much, and I can finally show you off to the world. Because no one as breathtakingly incredible as you should ever have to hide.”

By the end of the speech Bitty has his face buried in Jack’s chest and Jack can feel the tears seeping through his shirt.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Bitty mumbles, face still pressed to Jack’s chest. “Honey, I love you too. So much, Jack.”

Jack tilts Bitty’s chin up to meet his gaze, Bitty’s brown eyes are watery, shining with unshed tears, but his cheeks are flushed and a smile is tugging at his lips.

“Don’t you ever dare say you’re not worth it, you hear me, Bits? You’re worth  _ everything.  _ I would give up  _ anything  _ if it meant that I would be with you.”

Bitty’s eyes are wide now, his hands over his mouth, and his expression is stunned.

“I- marry me,” he blurts, eyes wide.

Jack freezes, just as Bitty jolts and slaps his hands over his mouth, muffling his stunned gasp.

“I-” Bitty starts, burying his face in his hands as Jack stares. “I- oh, Lord, what- Lord, Jack- I can’t even afford a ring! Goodness, I never meant to do it like this! Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry, Jack, I didn’t mean to ask you like this! What was I thinking, springing this on you this way! Not that I don’t  _ want _ to marry you!”

Bitty hears Jack chuckle softly, and then Jack’s warmth is pulling away from him, until it’s only his hands, calloused and warm on Bitty’s forearms, coaxing them down to his sides.

Bitty’s eyes are squeezed shut and his expression is pulled into a pained grimace, lips pulled into thin line in embarrassment.

“It’s okay, Bits,” Jack cajoles, tone soft. “Open your eyes.”

Bitty opens his eyes slowly, still mortified, and Jack is on the ground, kneeling, and for the first time ever Bitty has to look down to meet Jack’s gaze.

Jack expression is tired, dark bags under his eyes and tan skin paler than usual, but his droopy eyes are shining, bright blue, and his lips are pulled into a lopsided smile. His eyes are sincere and happy and when Bitty’s gaze travels further down, his hands are cradling a small velvet box, and he’s down on one knee.

“ _ Veux-tu m'épouser _ ?” Jack says, and Bitty doesn’t have to speak French to know what the question means.

This time, when Bitty’s hands fly up to cover his mouth, it’s in happy surprise, and his eyes water uncontrollably, shining with unshed tears.

“I-” Bitty starts. “I- Lord, sweetheart, oh my-”

Jack smiles, and Bitty can see the tremble in his hands that he tries so hard to hide, the quiver of the corner of his lips. But he smiles, eyes bright with happiness, and Lord, Bitty loves this boy.

“Yes,” Bitty blurts out, voice shaking and a tear escaping and streaking down his cheek. “Yes, darling, yes! A thousand times yes!”

Jack’s smile widens even further, and he stands slowly, gently easing the ring onto Bitty’s finger. Bitty waits as patiently as he can for Jack to slip the ring onto his finger before throwing himself at his boyfriend -fiancé, now- and clinging to him, arms wrapped around Jack’s neck and gaze still locked on his ring finger.

The ring is a simple band of platinum, edged by two parallel bands of gold, simple enough that it won’t interfere with Bitty’s baking or get caught on anything. Engraved on the inside of the ring are the numbers 1/15, beside a line of text that reads “addicted to your light”.

“It’s beautiful, Jack,” Bitty says, and Jack can hear the tremor in his voice, the tears soaking his shirt. 

“When did you even get this?” He continues, pulling back slightly to look at Jack.

“In August,” he mumbles, flushing slightly.

“Oh, honey,” Bitty says, smile growing even more. “You’ve had this ring since last year?”

Jack’s smile grows sheepish, and then he mumbles, “Not last August. August 2016.”

Bitty pulls back then, jaw dropping as he takes in Jack’s expression. “We were together for barely a year then, sweetheart!”

Jack ducked his head, cheeks red. “I just knew you were it, Bits. You were always going to be it for me. It was you or no one else.”

Jack barely stops himself from toppling backwards as Bitty flings himself at him, putting all his weight on Jack, the other man supporting all his weight as Bitty wraps his legs around Jack’s waist and presses their lips together.

“I love you so much, sugar,” Bitty says between kisses. “I love you so much.”

“ _ Je t’aime, bé _ ,” Jack replies, kissing back just as fervently. “ _ Je t’aime aussi. Je t’aime tellement. _ ”

They tumble backwards onto the couch, and that’s the last coherent thing they say for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this!
> 
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